This document presents some of the major challenges facing Developmental Psychologists. Research revealed that middle class children tended to respond in classification tasks to objects and pictures as equivalents, whereas low class black children tended not to do so. The reason for this was investigated. This investigation of the course of development of representational thinking is of import for theoretical and practical reasons: (1) to enhance understanding of a crucial cognitive phenomena, and (2) to provide diagnostic and remediational procedures to insure continued growth and mastery of symoblic activities. Examination of the literature and of parent child data suggested that the children from impoverished environments had less experience in utilizing those processes that are inherent in representational thought, i.e., anticipation, planning, articulation of events in linguistic terms, etc. The basic hypothesis emerged that exposing children to distancing behavior should enhance the development of representational skills. The decision was made to work with two-year-olds in a nursery-school-type setting to give them a chance to engage in representational thought. It became clear very early in the program that the children could and did engage in group-type behaviors and were increasingly involved in a small group setting. (CK)